I don’t want to get into a war of dueling websites, but there was an item on another site that I was asked about. It really bothered me, so I thought I would write about it here. The author wrote a quiz question asking about blind play. You hold J3o and a late position player posts a big blind. Everyone folds to the poster, who raises, everyone else folds to you. What should you do with your J3?

The writer suggested that if he were in the poster’s position, he would raise with any two cards (just like it says to do in Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players). Therefore, he concluded he should call in the big blind with his J3. A student asked mw if this was good advice.

In short, NO! There are a lot of issues regarding blind play, and in fact one could write a good-sized book on the subject. So I limited myself to just a few quick points.

The first rule of blind defense is the better the player making the steal (both relative to you and relative to the universe), the fewer hands you should play. The second rule takes into account is how well you play out of position, particularly when you have nothing. If you plan to simply going to give up when you miss the flop, and check and call when you make a pair, you are much better off folding.

Many players, even though they have read HPFAP and have read that they should raise with any two when posting and checked to, simply cannot bring themselves to do it. Against those players - whom you must be able to identify by guess on sight if you are planning to call with J3- you will be making a huge error by calling. And many others have not even read the book, and only raise with big hands after posting. So even you are the better player, you will be making an error by calling.

All in all, there is very little to be gained by playing trash hands out of position even against likely steal raises unless you play very well, your opponent does not, and you are able to take many pots away from him with little or nothing.